Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method therefor, and a storage medium, and in particular to an image forming apparatus that executes received jobs, and a control method therefor.
Description of the Related Art
An MFP which is an example of an image forming apparatus that executes received jobs is known. The MFP is able to receive and execute jobs corresponding to functions which the MFP has such as copying, scanning, and faxing functions (hereafter referred to as “MFP function jobs”). In the MFP, resources such as memory for executing MFP function jobs are limited, and hence when a plurality of MFP function jobs is received, execution of jobs is controlled so as to avoid a resource conflict when the plurality of MFP function jobs is executed at the same time. Specifically, to control execution of jobs, whether or not to execute a plurality of received MFP function jobs is controlled based on combination management information for managing combinations of a plurality of MFP function jobs executable at the same time.
A wide variety of applications have lately been developed, and by installing an application in the MFP, it is possible to add a new function to the MFP (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-153218). When an application is started in the MFP, the MFP is ready to receive jobs executable by this application (hereafter referred to as “application jobs”). In the MFP, when an application job and an MFP function job are received at the same time as well, execution of the application job and the MFP function job needs to be controlled so as to avoid a resource conflict when the application job and the MFP function job are executed at the same time.
In order to control execution of an application job and an MFP function job, however, combination management information for managing not only combinations of MFP function jobs but also combinations of application jobs as well as combinations of MFP function jobs and application jobs is required. On the other hand, as described above, since there are a wide variety of applications, combination management information includes an enormous amount of combinations of jobs. Moreover, when a different application is started, combination management information on this different application is needed. Namely, it is difficult to prepare and manage combination management information because of high complexity, and hence combination management information for controlling execution of an application job and an MFP function job is not usually provided. This presents a problem that a resource conflict in the image forming apparatus is unavoidable when an application job and an MFP function job are executed at the same time.